Gorgeous fall scatter gems and colorful rice make an irresistible and fun sensory bin!
Ah, fall is one of my favorite seasons! Pumpkins, apple picking, sweaters and scarves, warm colors everywhere… I just love it all.
It’s also the perfect theme for a sensory bin.
Have your kids every played with a sensory bin?
The beauty of a sensory bin is that you don’t need any fancy gimmicks or real instruction.
We set the ground rules of “no throwing” and “keep everything inside the bin” that works well for us.
My kids have tried breaking these rules once or twice, but once they realize the bin gets taken away for the rest of the day, it’s enough to make them comply the next time.
If this is your first time trying a sensory bin, stick to your guns, and the reward will soon come!
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Making the Fall Gems & Rice Sensory Bin
I made a batch of purple colored rice last fall (see my Halloween fine motor sensory bin post to see how) and stored the leftover rice in a bag.
Colored rice keeps for a long time. I try to keep the colors separate so I don’t have to keep making them!
You can also use plain old white rice, brown rice, or even wild rice if you don’t want to dye rice.
Add fall-themed scatter gems like any of these.
Finally, add special tools. I try to pick out something for scooping and pouring, and a few small containers.
For this particular one, we used
Need more ideas? Check out my free guide to sensory bins here!
How We Played with Our Fall Gems & Rice Sensory Bin
Lia, age 2, mostly explored the tools and materials in the bin.
She picked up handfuls of rice and enjoyed the feeling of it in her hands.
She stirred the rice and gems with a wooden spoon and filled some of the muffin cups.
Lia also tried using the fine motor scooping scissors. It’s a little tricky for her to get her fingers to work independently, but she always gives it her best try!
Elena, age 4, insisted on adding the small bulldozer (or is it a backhoe??) which got played with all of five seconds.
No, the real activity for her here was sorting the lovely pumpkin gems by size and color.
She used the silicone muffin cups to keep the gems separate and patiently sorted each and every gem until she’d gotten them all categorized.
Tips to Reduce Clean-Up
Firstly, get in the right mindset.
Sensory bins are typically messy.
And that’s OK.
Kids are messy. Sensory bins are messy.
We know this, so just kill any expectation that your floors will remain pristine. It’ll be much easier for you later, trust me!
But you can greatly reduce clean-up time with these tips.
- Lay a large blanket on the floor under the sensory bin. This traps things that tend to roll and spread and keeps it to a general area. Then if you’re talented enough, you can fold the blanket and pour all the spills back into the sensory bin.
- Double bin it. I like putting a smaller bin inside a larger bin. The kids like taking things out of the smaller bin and it’s handy to have the larger bin right there for them to set those things down on.
- Get a cordless vacuum. I’ve had this one for nearly a year, and I absolutely love using it. OK, maybe I didn’t get it *specifically* for sensory bins, but it sure does make things super easy. Wait for this vacuum to go on sale, then just get it. It’s a worthy investment!
Your Turn to Play with a Fall Gems & Rice Sensory Bin
That’s all I have for this post.
Think you’ll try the fall gems & rice sensory bin?
Leave me a comment below!
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